Tag: Totally Bound

2015 has been the year that nearly wasn’t. My life was turned upside down in February when I found myself in hospital. To say it was a lengthy stay is quite the understatement. I didn’t return home until the end of May. All the writing plans I had etc were shoved to the back burner – so to speak and I was heartbroken that I had to cancel two conferences, RT in Dallas and the Australian Romance Readers convention in Canberra. Maybe I will make it to RT in Vegas next year. On the positive side my family did learn to take care of themselves…

While I was ‘away’ the second book in my Haven Security series, An Opportunity for Redemption released. I was not able to give my new release any promotion at the time. So, thanks to my friends at Book Rhythm we are plugging Nate and Bec’s story now 🙂

Please visit WLK Book Promotions and enter the Rafflecopter or check out some of the wonderful blogs that are hosting my Book Tour. I must make mention of Harlie’s Books here, thank you so much for the awesome review and my 5 Harleys 🙂

I also added another fur-baby to my family. Toni the mini dachshund now has a baby brother, Ralph the toy Pomeranian. They are so sweet.

Releasing a new series, especially in a new genre is exciting and terrifying at the same time. After seven books in my League of Love series I thought it was time to try something new. So I swapped my sexy Aussie sportsmen for the hot alpha ex-soldiers of Haven Security.

I love a new release but, not so much the promotion. I always feel like I’m pushing my book down your throat so to speak. I even get tired of seeing me 😉

Then there is the blog tour with the help of Book Rhythm – thanks so much Muse for organising this for me. There is a Rafflecopter running with a $100 Amazon gift card up for grabs – so go forth and enter.

I’ve also been happy dancing all over the place over the positive reaction An Opportunity Seized has been receiving. Thank you to all the wonderful reviewers and readers who took the time to read my book and write a review. Here are just a couple…

My book tour for A Fruitful Intimacy is well under way and I wanted to take the opportunity to thank all my tour hosts. With special thanks to Book Rhythm and Sparkle Book Tours for putting it all together for me. Big cheers to the blog hosts that went the extra mile, read my book and wrote a review – You Rock!

There’s still time to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. Just click on one, or all of the wonderful bloggers pages below for a chance to win.

To celebrate the re-release of my short story A Fruitful Intimacyby Totally Bound Publishing, I thought I’d offer a few e book copies as a giveaway. Entering is simple, just tell me where you would go for a second honeymoon or to reignite that spark with your significant other.

In my story Ben and Beth go to a beautiful island off the coast of Australia. Heron Island is a natural coral cay 89 kms off the coast of Queensland, on the Great Barrier Reef. In the crystal clear aquamarine waters surrounding the island, stunning coral gardens and sea creatures great and small flourish in abundance and colour.

The fire and passion of their love has slowly ebbed away through years of neglect. Can a second honeymoon re-ignite that spark?

There has been no physical contact in their marriage for so long that when Ben first hatches his plan to take Beth away for the weekend, it really is all about the sex and providing an environment where there are no distractions and no excuse for her to refuse his advances again. But while Ben is making all the arrangements, it suddenly becomes clear to him that there’s something more important at stake— His marriage, to the woman of his dreams, is actually in trouble.

Beth believed that motherhood would come easily, that building a perfect world around her three sons and husband would be achievable. But reality has proven her wrong. The more she tried, the more her failures shattered her confidence. Where she planned to shower her family with home baked cookies, smiles and unconditional love, she struggles just getting the evening meal on the table. By the end of the day she’s so exhausted that she can’t even fulfil her marital obligations. Once upon a time making love to Ben was just as necessary as breathing, before her body was ravaged by the demands of pregnancy and childbirth. They’ve grown so far apart that Beth’s convinced Ben’s having an affair.

Can a second honeymoon really help Beth and Ben bridge that growing divide between them and bring back the fire and passion that has slowly, through years of neglect, ebbed away? And will this give the couple a much needed chance to work together for a happier future? Or is it too late?

Excerpt– A Fruitful Intimacy

The heat from the sun’s rays kissed her shoulders. Droplets of perspiration ran down her bikini-clad back as she raced across the powdery, soft sand. Her laughter, using up the much needed oxygen from her lungs, joined together with the sounds of the gulls squealing above. Grains of sand from Ben’s nearing footfalls stung the backs of her calves as he closed in on her. She knew he would catch her quickly. She welcomed it. As his arms closed around her waist, she felt her feet lifted from the ground and their bodies tumbled together into the spill of the ocean.

Ben had turned them at the last moment so his body would cushion her fall, but the splash of seawater covered her. The refreshing salty feel of the warm water cooled her skin but only Ben could extinguish the sexual fires burning within her.

“Running from me already, Mrs Russell? On our honeymoon, no less.” He laughed as his lips moved over hers, demanding yet gentle at the same time. His tongue exploring every crevice of her mouth in its welcomed assault, hers matching the intensity and hunger equally. The beach deserted—Ben’s hands explored her body, cupped her breasts, teasing her nipples into hard buds, causing a ripple effect to heighten her already sexual state. Liquid pooled in her bikini bottom, mixing with the salty wash of the waves rhythmically lapping and breaking over her sensitized pussy.

“Touch me, Ben,” she pleaded, as his strong fingers delved beneath the sides of her wispy swimwear, easily pushing the fabric aside. Their promised destination had her panting with need, spreading apart her thighs in encouragement. She arched her hips forward, impatient for that moment when Ben’s talented touch would make contact with her throbbing clit—wanting to make her pleasurable climb to destination bliss.

What about the warm dishwater had Beth reminiscing about her honeymoon? There was nothing romantic about doing the dishes. After ten years of marriage and bringing three kids into the world, she had cleaned up more times than she could count. Could just the feel of the warm water on her skin be enough to bring about those memories of better times? Swimming, relaxing, or making love had been their only concerns back on that romantic, idyllic island. Whatever the reason for remembering how things used to be, it did nothing to improve her mood. Those days, when romance and sex had been a wonderful feature of her marriage to Ben, were long gone.

Once upon a time they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other. Ben had taught Beth all there was to know about sex—sensual, needy, or just plain hot and heavy sex. Together they had explored most of the positions listed in the Kama Sutra. Marking them off one by one as they’d groped, stroked, licked or sucked over every inch of each other’s naked flesh. These days she was lucky to get a kiss on the cheek as Ben raced out of the door on his way to work.

I’m pleased to be able to share my new cover art for An Opportunity for Redemption. This is the second book in my new Haven Security series, following on from An Opportunity Seized.

Set in Australia, my romantic suspense stories feature Nathan Haven and his team of highly skilled, lethal ex-military men at Haven Security. These sexy alphas are more than qualified to protect their clients from danger but are completely defenceless when it comes to the women that capture their hearts.

Two unforeseen moments in time— One brings them together. The other is a danger so real it could tear them apart.

Antoinette ‘Toni’ Grimaldi prefers to keep out of the spotlight, blend in with the crowd and experience life the same as the bulk of the population. Being a mining magnate’s daughter is a difficult persona for her to uphold. She just doesn’t fit in with high society standards, always managing to say something inappropriate or trip over her own feet at the worst possible moment. Resulting in that look of disappointment and embarrassment her parents inevitably wear whenever she’s around.

Meeting a handsome stranger who comes to her rescue and asks her out on a date is so much more than Toni could have ever hoped for on her dream holiday – one she is surprised her parents have even permitted her to take alone. Her fairy-tale moment is short lived though, when Toni discovers the stranger has been hired by her family to follow her every move – under the guise of keeping her safe.

Jason finds he is drawn to Antoinette, she is nothing like the socialite, he was expecting to shadow around London’s nightclubs at all. After an awkward first meeting he convinces Toni that there is more to his interest in her than just as her bodyguard. To his surprise his attraction for the soft spoken, thoughtful woman grows, despite his usual reluctance to commit to any kind of relationship.

A disaster at one of the family owned mines and a string of death threats forces Toni to return home and her need for a bodyguard becomes a life and death reality.

Early download available from Totally Bound – 16th January 2015

General release – 13th February 2015

Blurb – An Opportunity for Redemption

She kept his son a secret for years, should pay for that deceit. Instead, he was fighting the urge to drag her back into his arms – and bed.

When ex-commando, Nathan Haven discovers he has a son it’s enough of a kick to the guts. Learning at the same time, this child he’s never met, is losing the battle with leukaemia, the last straw. He vows to make Rebecca Hammerton regret her decision to keep his son a secret from him. But first he is going to do everything in his power to help defeat the disease that threatens his boy’s life. Then he will deal with the woman that walked away from him seven years ago without so much as a by your leave, turning his heart to stone.

He just has to suppress the constant urge to drag the damn sexy heart-breaker back into his arms, and his bed, first.

I just had to have Anne come downunder and pay a visit to my blog after I finished reading Sliding into Home. It’s pretty clear I love a sporty hero and so Jack pushed his way into my heart very quickly 😉 I had my mini iPad propped up at the table while I ate breakfast, couldn’t put the book down. There are sexy scenes aplenty and even some drunken shenanigans. I’ve also been to Vegas a few times so I think that helped me connect so strongly to the storyline. I do think Mason needs his own book Anne – Just saying! 😉

Anne Lange is On the Bench

Author Interview

Hi Anne, thank you for visiting.

Hi Donna! Thanks for having me here today 🙂

Tell us a bit about yourself,

Well, I’m a wife and a mom. I grew up the oldest of four in Southern Ontario, Canada and now live in Eastern Ontario. I work full-time and I write in my spare time…or rather, I make the time, otherwise I’d probably choose to curl up in a corner on my sofa with a good book.

Books and shoes are my passion. Reading is my escape, my form of relaxation. I love to step into the shoes of the heroine I’m spending my time with, and dream about getting lucky with the sexy hero! I read most genres of fiction, but my favourites are romantic suspense and erotic romance, with a few historicals thrown in for good measure every so often.

What was the first book you had published?

My very first book was Worth the Risk. It was published in 2013. It’s a novella as well, and also a reunion story, actually. But it takes place on a camping trip. So it has outdoor sex scenes 🙂

What was your initial reaction when offered that first contract?

Pretty much. I called my husband down to re-read the email I’d received.

Of the books you have written is there one that holds a special place in your heart and why?

Well, Worth the Risk probably, because it was my first, but also because it was a therapeutic exercise for me. A part of my real life was the inspiration for the story. Though my story didn’t play out the way it did for my heroine, and I was married to my husband at the time, her pain and anguish was mine. Oh look, I did that without giving away any details. Sneaky 😉

Are you a disciplined writer or do you have to wait for the muse to arrive? Do you have a ritual that gets you in the mood?

Oh, I am not disciplined at all. My muse goes on extended vacations and I have to literally drag him kicking and screaming back to the task at hand. It’s very painful. Unfortunately I don’t have a ritual, unless you want to count deadlines. Those seem to work. I’m pretty good under pressure.

What was the last book you read?

Last book was Roni Loren’s Forever Starts Tonight.

What are you working on now?

I am working on a few things. The next book in A New League series has been submitted. It’s called The Final Quarter. So I’m now starting on the third book in that series, as well as the third in another series with another publisher. It’s a ménage and is called Wicked Indulgence. I’m also working on a couple of short stories, and I have a story that I’m self-publishing called Her Choice. Lots of balls in the air!

What genre would you like to try and write that is different from your own?

I’m trying my hand at paranormal. I have a shifter series that I’ve been working on. I have book 1 written, but I’m doing rewrites at the moment. And book 2 is also underway though on hold until I finish book 1. I’m really excited about that one because it’s a paranormal romantic suspense. Completely new for me.

When you receive edits are you Teary and Disillusioned or Feisty and Focussed?

Definitely feisty and focused. I have a process with edits. I run through the entire ms looking for quick and easy things and get them out of the way first—a fast pass to accept/revise. I don’t look at detail. Then I go back and deal with the bigger edits, but ones I accept. Then third pass is the ones I might take issue with. Those require more though sometimes but there is generally very few in number, if any. And I don’t like to make my editor wait, so edits become my priority over everything else.

What is one thing in your books you’d like to try?

Does plotting them out count? LOL. I’m not a plotter. I hate doing it. But I absolutely see benefit. I wish I could. But alas…

Now for some hard hitters with an Aussie flavour!

A sport /sportsperson that you watch? (C’mon there must be one) OR An embarrassing sporting memory.

Hockey but normally only during the playoffs. And I will watch winter Olympic games, specifically the downhill skiing.

Favourite Aussie Author/Actor /Musician?

Hugh Jackman.

Your view on Vegemite?

What’s a vegemite? LOL **D – I’ll have to send you some 🙂

Formal dinner party or backyard barbeque?

Although I love prepping for a formal dinner party, I prefer a backyard barbeque.

Adventure holiday or relaxing by the pool?

Relaxing by the pool. You can’t always read on an adventure holiday. You can ALWAYS read by the pool. J

Favourite Aussie holiday place or one you’ve always wanted to visit?

I’ve never been to Australia so I’d have to say anywhere in Australia. **D – Start in Sydney, you can visit me and we’ll take it from there 😉

Thank you, Donna, for inviting me to be on your blog today. I loved your questions! And I hope your readers enjoy hearing about this Canadian and her take on the Aussie flavoured ones J And what is a vegemite? Seriously. Okay, I looked it up on the internet. Um…can’t say as I’ve ever tried it, and let’s just say it doesn’t tempt my pallet.

Blurb

Can an injured ex ball player convince the woman he wakes up married to in Las Vegas to take a second chance on him?

After spending the last four months drowning his sorrows over the end of his baseball career, Jack Bishop finds himself winging through the blue skies to Las Vegas, not so ready to spend the weekend with some woman his best friend set him up with. He expects a paid escort. What he gets is the woman he walked away from ten years ago to pursue his passion, and she’s not very happy to see him.

Devyn Tate believes she’s quite capable of finding somebody to take her out to dinner. She’s no longer looking for a lifelong promise. She has a commitment only to her battery-operated toy to fulfill that particular need. Yet her friends have managed to talk her into spending the weekend in Las Vegas, on a blind date of all things. They promise the guy is trustworthy. They insist that she should have fun. Unfortunately, fun is not what she envisions when she discovers Jack Bishop lying on the floor of her suite in nothing but his underwear that’s on backward, and she has a wedding ring on her finger.

I have spread my genre wings and taken a short break from my League of Love, sports romance series. Here is the gorgeous cover for An Opportunity Seized. The first book in the Haven Security series, a romantic suspense/thriller set in the UK and Australia.

Two unforeseen moments in time—One brings them together, the other is a danger so real it could tear them apart.

Antoinette ‘Toni’ Grimaldi prefers to keep out of the spotlight, blend in with the crowd and experience life the same as the bulk of the population. Being a mining magnate’s daughter is a difficult persona for her to uphold. She just doesn’t fit in with high society standards, always managing to say something inappropriate or trip over her own feet at the worst possible moment. Resulting in that look of disappointment and embarrassment her parents inevitably wear whenever she’s around.

Meeting a handsome stranger who comes to her rescue and asks her out on a date is so much more than Toni could have ever hoped for on her dream holiday—one she is surprised her parents have even permitted her to take alone. Her fairy-tale moment is short lived, though, when Toni discovers the stranger has been hired by her family to follow her every move—under the guise of keeping her safe.

Jason finds he is drawn to Antoinette—she is nothing like the socialite he was expecting to shadow around London’s nightclubs at all. After an awkward first meeting he convinces Toni that there is more to his interest in her than just as her bodyguard. To his surprise his attraction for the soft spoken, thoughtful woman grows, despite his usual reluctance to commit to any kind of relationship.

A disaster at one of the family owned mines and a string of death threats forces Toni to return home, and her need for a bodyguard becomes a life and death reality.

I love when I get the chance to showcase new authors on my blog. This week I’m even more excited to introduce a talented young author published by Totally Bound.Please welcome…Erik Clarke as he sits ‘On the Bench’ and previews his latest ‘Super Novel’ length book Wonder from the Spellbound series. To be honest, I am a little jealous that Erik has found the time to write three super novel length books. Shouldn’t you be studying or something, Erik? 😉

Erik Clarke is still trying to figure out how to balance work, school, writing, and the ever-elusive “social life”. He’s also still trying to figure out when the outlandish plots and crazy characters he’d scribbled into the margins of his notebooks for years somehow coalesced into an actual novel.

Born in Ohio and now struggling through the constant love/hate relationship that is living in the beautiful but sweltering Arizona landscape, Erik is thankful every day for the incredible, supportive family and friends that surround him—and for the sheer joy that writing two characters to their happily ever after can bring.

Author Interview Questions.

What was the first book you had published?

The first book I ever had published was actually Night, the first book in my current series, Spellbound. I’d written lots of things before that, more stories than I can count that never got further than a few pages or (on the lucky ones) a few chapters, but Night was the first plot that I finally managed to buckle down on enough to get it completed, and luckily it got picked up!

What was your initial reaction when offered that first contract?

I was shocked, honestly. To have a publishing company like the first book that I’d gotten finished was such a dream come true. It was so crazy to me to have achieved this dream of mine that I’d always just kind of had sitting in the back of my mind, that I’d figured I wouldn’t get to until I was a lot older. It was very surreal.

Of the books you have written is there one that holds a special place in your heart and why?

The second book in the Spellbound series, Monster, is very special to me. As much as I love my first book, I learned so much in the editing process of that one, and having to read over it so many times really shaped the way that I wrote the second book. Every interaction between Syler and Max in that book is just full of frustration and attraction and emotion, and I just feel like it’s some of the most honest content I’ve ever written. So much of the book is them sparring, and it was so fun to write because it felt very real to me, very human and grounded even though it’s set in this big, supernatural world full of magic.

Are you a disciplined writer or do you have to wait for the muse to arrive? Do you have a ritual that gets you in the mood?

I try to be diligent about getting writing done when I have the chance, because with school and my job the times that I actually have to write can end up being kind of few and far between, so I really have to take advantage of them. But the amount that gets done at each of those times definitely changes depending on the mood I’m in. Some days, it’s just a few hundred words, and then at other times when the muse really hits me I’ve written over 10,000 words in one sitting. It’s very hit or miss, which can get stressful when a deadline’s approaching.

What was the last book you read?

I actually just went back and read one of my favorite books, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I had to read it when I was in high school and I fell in love. Distopian books have always fascinated me, and Brave New World is by far my favorite, just by virtue of its dark humor and sarcasm.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on something very different from what I’ve written in the past. It’s sci-fi, rather than the paranormal that I’ve always written before, and it definitely is a darker kind of book than my other ones. It pushes into subjects and desires that don’t pop up in the Spellbound books, and there is a much more pronounced focus on the mental aspects. I’m not sure yet if it’s the start of a new series or a standalone, but it will give people a taste of a different side of my writing, I can say that much.

What genre would you like to try and write that is different from your own?

Honestly, the sci-fi one that I’m working on right now was a genre that I was very excited to go into. I grew up on Star Trek and Star Wars and games like Halo and Dead Space, so sci-fi has always been very near and dear to my heart. Putting my spin on that (with a gay erotica twist) has been lots of fun so far. I also want to try my hand at something contemporary soon, just to see if I can write something that doesn’t have to have magic or spaceships for a backdrop.

When you receive edits are you Teary and Disillusioned or Feisty and Focussed?

I always figured that I was going to be very teary and disillusioned when I got my edits, and on my first book at least, when I saw the sheer amount of things to fix, I definitely felt that way for a little bit. But I’ve found now that I actually get very feisty once I start to read them, which I hadn’t necessarily expected from myself. I can get real defensive real quick, I’ve found out. But that fire helps me get through them quickly and they’re always very helpful, so it all works out.

What is one thing in your books you’d like to try?

I never intended to write in the first person perspective. Literally everything I’d written before Night had been third person, and then by some turn of events that book just came out in first person to my surprise as much as anyone else’s. It just felt natural, and that set a precedent for the rest of the series. Now I’m so used to first person that third person feels strange, so I’m trying with this new story to get back into the feel of that perspective again.

Now for some hard hitters with an Aussie flavour!

A sport /sportsperson that you watch? (C’mon there must be one) OR An embarrassing sporting memory.

I love watching basketball, which is funny, because I never really played it except occasionally in P.E. class (I don’t really have the height for it…), but it’s just such nonstop motion that it’s easy to stay engaged. I also like watching baseball a lot as well, although it’s been a few seasons since I actually did.

Favourite Aussie Author/Actor /Musician?

I love the musician Sia. Her music has just gotten popular here in the U.S. in the last couple years, although I know she’s written a lot of other performer’s hits before that without anyone really knowing it, but I think she’s amazing. Her latest album is one that I can just leave on repeat and listen to from start to finish without having to skip anything, which is so rare for me.

Your view on Vegemite?

Never tried it, but if my YouTube obsession has taught me anything, it’s that I probably wouldn’t be a fan… Although I’m definitely willing to give it a try! Even if just once…

Formal dinner party or backyard barbeque?

Barbeque, all the way. I like getting dressed up and all, but formal dinners make me even more uncomfortable than social events normally make me, and that’s saying something. Just hanging out with family or friends informal style helps put me more at ease.

Adventure holiday or relaxing by the pool?

Relaxing poolside. I love doing adventurous things every now and then just to keep things spiced up, but more often than not I work myself up into a ball of stress if I think about impending adventurous-y stuff for too long, so most of the time just hanging out is a better bet for me.

Favourite Aussie holiday place or one you’ve always wanted to visit?

I’d love to go see the Great Barrier Reef, although I’d probably want to learn to snorkel or scuba first. Uluru looks like it would be awesome to see, too.

***Wonder is the third book in the Spellbound series and is up for preorder September 12th, pre-sale September 26th, and general release October 24th.***

Book Blurb:

To find out the truth and join with his Vampire mate, Blake may have to pay a steep price—his sanity.

It’s not that Blake Hollister doesn’t want to be the mate of the town’s resident hottie Vampire, Adam Harkin. Just the opposite—with everything else in his life going to hell, that’s the one thing Blake wants more than anything. But fate has other ideas. Blake is Dormant, meaning his magical powers never manifested when he came of age, leaving him doomed to be forever connected with magic, but never able to access it. Sex between magical beings and non-magics is risky at first and becomes exponentially more dangerous, and Adam isn’t willing to harm his mate, effectively pausing their relationship until some solution can be found.

At the same time, darker things are manifesting in Kelvin. Secrets buried in the ruins of the town’s old amusement park, Wonderworld, threaten to destroy the fragile peace. And when Blake finally convinces Adam to give sex a shot despite the risk, the destructive effects to his mind that he tries to hide threaten to drive him insane. Blake’s once structured life begins to shatter—days turn into fractured memories of events he can’t be sure really occurred, a broken slideshow of night clubs, theme parks, and torrid sex. Dreams and reality, past and present, betrayal and loyalty are all on a collision course, and at the center stands the mercury-eyed fantasy that Blake is beginning to think he might love—if the long-forgotten truth about Adam’s brutal change from human to Vampire doesn’t turn the entire town against each other first…

Excerpt:

Something shuffling in the shadows cast by the trees drew me toward the dark overgrowth off the edge of the street. It was just as likely to be another bird, but the whispered edges of magic at the corners of my vision hooked into my mind and wouldn’t let me ignore the possibility of something more. A shape shifted in the bushes, but I couldn’t make it out in the darkness, so I warily took a step closer.

“Wrong way!”

Shit!

I spun around to face the voice behind me, pivoting so fast I almost landed flat on my ass again.

Adam grinned at me from the cluster of trees in the middle of the plaza, sitting on one of the lowest branches. When he saw I’d caught sight of him, he rocked back and pushed off the bough as he fell backward, using the momentum to somersault once in the air before landing cleanly on his feet.

“Hey there, hot stuff. I was gonna just come to you, you know?”

My mouth was suddenly so dry I could hardly swallow. The Vampire was moving toward me, closing the gap between us with each of his long strides, and I took a step back by reflex. The massive trees that had enveloped this place left most of it plunged in shadow at all times, the courtyard no exception, but there were patches of sunlight streaming down through the canopy. For a half-second I considered moving into one of them, but that wouldn’t stop the Vamp if he really wanted it—the superior senses of his kind made sunlight painful, but it wasn’t like he was going to burst into dust if it touched him.

You’re the one who went looking for him, you dumbass. Why are you backing away now?

With an unsteady breath, I held my ground, trying to stand straight, look a little more intimidating. That all kind of went out of the window a moment later, though, as a faltering, “U-uh… What?” fell from my lips. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, silently cursing myself for my idiocy.

When I opened them a second later, Adam was suddenly in front of me, his hands coming to rest on my chest and drifting downward. My breath hitched and I grabbed the hands he had now settled on my hips, using the stance to steady myself even as the fiery warmth of his skin sent a chill up my spine. The Vampire smiled incredulously, the beginnings of a furrow forming at his brow.

“Little jumpy?”

I stood perfectly still for seconds that seemed to drag indefinitely, looking into his eyes as though there was some answer to my unspoken questions there. Adam held my gaze easily, letting his own drift just enough to take in the rest of my face before centering again. A subtle tingle worked through my veins the longer I looked at the Vampire’s flawless features, an echo of the sexual abandon I’d let overtake me the night before. Images of groping hands and roaming kisses flickered across my mind’s eye, and my breath started to quicken.

What is wrong with me lately?

I swallowed hard and gritted my teeth to keep from backing up, trapped somewhere between confusion and overdrive need. “Y-you aren’t using your aura.” It was true—the venting swirl of marks that usually surrounded a Vamp when they were trying to lure someone in was nowhere to be found. My eyes drifted closed as my head threatened to spin. “So why do I feel like…like this?”

Adam pressed closer, bringing our bodies together until they touched, one of his hands still on my hip, the other now squeezed between us and running over my crotch. “What do you feel?” His voice was liquid fire, deep and low in a way that made my spine shudder.

I death-gripped his shoulder and thrust against his hand. “Want.” I shivered and started to slowly roll my hips forward. “Need. So bad I can’t think of anything else…” Adam’s hand came up to the side of my face and I leaned into his touch, crushing my lips to his when I felt him come close. Animal energy burned in my heart, and I grabbed Adam’s wrist between us and moved him up until his fingertips were brushing the waist of my jeans. The Vampire pushed down between the sensitive skin at the base of my stomach and the elastic of my boxers, and I arched my back to help him slip into place. My legs threatened to give out as he brushed his fingers over my head and moved deeper.

“I’ve waited so long to find you, al meu…”

Adam’s mouth stole across mine again, and I groaned, fighting to stay lucid enough to bring together the shattered pieces of my thoughts. Something about what he’d just said was important, but damn it, his lips felt so soft and warm, and his hand was about to make me paint the inside of my jeans white the fun way…

“So long…”

I brought my hand up to Adam’s chest and pushed hard, using what little mind I had left to break us apart so I could take a breath. The Vampire groaned and tried to come closer again, but I locked my elbow and held him at arm’s length. Surging platinum seas bored into me, but I used the small distance to help my head clear, help me feel like my old self again instead of this sex-hungry…monster Adam kept turning me into.

“What do you mean ‘so long’?” I managed to keep the quiver out of my voice, but the shakes slowly overtaking my body the longer I stayed distant were going to make that impossible soon. The Vampire smirked, running a hand through his wild black hair to push it back.

“I was afraid I might join the century club before I found my al meu.” He started to move closer again, forcing my arm to bend no matter how hard I fought, so I stepped back and dropped my hands to make the gap more impactful. He slowed his approach, the bare traces of confusion flickering across his features. “What’s wrong, Blake?”

I wasn’t sure yet. There were too many things to count. One of those was definitely the fact that he somehow knew my name—and that he’d known I’d had sex, and known the exact moves it took to make me lose it, and that he seemed to have this all figured out while I felt like my head was going to fucking explode. I let my mouth take over, carving a path through my disparate thoughts to voice whatever it thought was most vital.

“Before you found your what? W-what does al meu mean?” The foreign word rolled smoothly off my tongue, not a language I was familiar with, but a phrase that made strange tingles needle in my chest nonetheless.

Adam cocked his eyebrow. “Technically, the word means mine.”

His brow furrowed, as though all of this should have been obvious to me somehow, but to hear my brain tell it, everything was making less than no sense. I licked my lips, rubbing idly at my left arm.

The Vampire stepped forward slowly, carefully, and this time I let him without resistance. He still kept his distance, now looking me over like I was some terrified animal, ready to bolt at any moment. “I was saying I’ve waited so long to find my mate.”

I stared at him blankly, the words not quite connecting in my head even as the ache in my chest went supernova.

“I’ve waited so long to find you, Blake.”

Given the powers of an Incubus,

could you resist the urge to take the one man you’ve always secretly wanted?

This week I welcome Totally Bound author Ashley Ladd to my blog with an excerpt from her latest MM release Cooking Up A Storm. Ashley will be back to do my author interview in the coming weeks.

COOKING UP A STORM by Ashley Ladd

Blurb:

Brooks and Rique desperately want to win a coveted chef’s job offered by an eccentric millionaire in paradise. Even more, Rique desperately wants to stay alive.

Brooks and Rique desperately want to win the head chef’s position offered by an eccentric millionaire Jonah Verleun on his beautiful, private but peculiar island that includes a zoo full of exotic animals, an amusement park and a monster shark tank beneath Jonah’s bedroom floor. While Brooks wants the job to escape his heartache and the lover who thwarted him, Rique is hiding from the mob, hoping to live long enough to pay them off with the prize winnings. Fierce competitors, they cook up a storm in a series of cooking challenges while trying to turn down the heat on their intense attraction. When a hurricane strikes the island, the storm Rique has been cooking up explodes, and no heart—or body—is safe.

Excerpt:

They ran, hunched over, zigging and zagging as bullets flew around them. Rique damned himself for putting Brooks in this mess. He wondered if the mob held the others prisoner and that’s why they didn’t answer the door.

He turned the first corner they came upon and then the next. He stopped dead and the air left his lungs. A moment later Brooks ran into his back almost knocking him over. He swayed dangerously but managed to stay upright and spread his arms wide to keep Brooks from stumbling forward.

He couldn’t believe his eyes. One of Jonah’s tigers lay in their path crouching low, baring his teeth, and eying them as if they were dinner.

He tried to quell the jitters attacking his stomach so the animal wouldn’t smell his fear then whispered to Brooks through clenched teeth, “What do we do now? Freeze or run?”

“Run. But where?” Brooks whispered back, a frown trembling on his lips.

“To the closest protection.” He prayed their hunters had lost them, that they wouldn’t run back into a barrage of bullets. As Rique bunched his muscles to run, already feeling the animal’s fangs ripping into him, he noted how the tiger’s thick muscles corded in his shoulders, and how saliva ran down his snarling lips.

“Dear God, we’re going to die.” Panic laced Brooks’ voice. “If we get out of here alive, let’s both turn down the job and move in together.”

Swallowing hard, Rique couldn’t reply so he nodded. Besides, as much as he wanted to live with Brooks, he couldn’t do it as long as he was indebted to the mob. However, the point was moot. He couldn’t see a scenario in which one of them didn’t die in the next five minutes.

Feeling responsible, Rique couldn’t let anything happen to Brooks as long as he was alive. He would take on the tiger giving Brooks time to reach safety. “On the count of three, run!”

As Rique whispered, “One,” hisses, then a blood-curdling growl wrenched the air. It was a different sound than the tiger was making. Then a crocodile bellowed and jumped out of the bushes and snatched the tiger by its belly. As it dragged the struggling creature back to the bushes, the tiger howled in surprise and pain. It clawed the air in vain as the reptile’s powerful jaws clamped tighter biting through flesh and bone.

Imogene reclines on the seat with the champagne I offered her. I’ve decided to do this week’s interview from the sports bar (I felt the bench might be a bit crowded with two guests.)

“Gee Donna, I love what you’ve done with the salon!”

I nod, and take a sip of my cold bubbly drink. The fizz tickles my nose a little but I smile. “And your guest…?”

The sound of knocking has me raising my head.

“That should be her now.” Imogene hops up from the seat and opens the door.

A magnificently beautiful woman is there, smiling. Her cat green eyes glint in the light and her red hair shines. As she moves into the room, her green chiffon gown swirls around her voluptuous figure.

“Sorry I’m a little late. Javed needed me to run an urgent errand.”

She plops down onto the chair beside Imogene.

“It’s great you could fit us in. Imogene has offered to run the interview for us.”

Imogene lifts her battered notepad and flicks through the pages. “I sure did. Now I know your time is limited, so let’s get straight into it.” Celina nods but it’s clear there is a deep well of reserve in the woman.

“You were raised as an orphan, in an environment that didn’t really discuss vampires. That must be hard to reconcile now.” Celina’s eyes flare a little before she smiles. “It’s true, I didn’t really know a lot. It was something that wasn’t discussed. But then again, neither was magic. It has certainly made it harder on some levels to find my way in this world. I mean, after the investiture I didn’t really have any understanding of what was needed of me. I had to learn by trial and error.”

“How did Javed factor in helping you find your place in this unknown society?” Imogene smiles encouragingly at Celina.

“To be honest, in some ways it didn’t. You see, no one told me that we shouldn’t… At least, not until Bertha.” Celina stops and bites her lip. Imogene reaches out a hand and grasps Celina’s. It’s clear she is a little upset by the question.

“We’ll move on then.” Celina nods at Imogene’s quiet words. “When you woke after Javed changed you… How did it feel to know that forever was in your future?”

This time, Celina’s smile is beatific. “Oh. On one level it was overwhelming. I didn’t know initially what had happened, though there was definitely something big. When I realized, I guess I accepted it at face value for a few minutes. I mean, who thinks of all the rules when that is there?”

“You were surprised? Did it occur to you at that time how big the chance Javed took?”

She laughs. “No. That took some time. But I have to say, with the enhanced senses… Things are soooo much better than ever before.” The look on Celina’s face is naughty and forces Imogene and myself into a choked laughter.

“You mean the sex?” Imogene’s voice is thin and her eyes grown round.

“Oh man! Do I ever!”

“What does the future hold for the house, now that the master and his mistress have uncovered the threat in the prophecy?”

Celina winces. “Well, I’m sure you understand, I can’t go into a lot of detail. The threat is real. And it’s scary. I mean… The power we are talking of… The ability to make vampire armies. The amount of blood they’d require. We have to find him, before that eventuates otherwise…” Celina’s voice tapers away.

Imogene shudders. “Yeah I kinda got that.”

I can’t help myself. “But what about the blood? I mean needing to drink blood is, you know, not really the most pleasant concept.”

Celina and Imogene both glance at me. Celina leans forward. “The drinking of blood is no different to the drinking of water except, it’s a truly sensual experience. It’s the act of giving and taking between those consenting to the relationship. When it’s deep and overwhelming, there is no pain. Only passion.” She grins and I can’t help myself. I grin back.

“But it’s necessary to be consenting?” Imogene cocks an eyebrow.

“In the houses most vampires only take from those donors who agree or rely on bagged blood. Of course, that blood is carefully sourced. We don’t believe in the animalistic taking of it from those who don’t wish to share.”

Imogene smiles. “I get what you are saying. Can I ask…? How often…?”

“Not every day. Many of the older vamps only need to drink every two or three days. The younger ones, like myself need several feeds a day. Javed usually imbibes once a day. It really depends on age and occupation.”

The chime of a phone fills the air. “Excuse me a minute.” Celina reaches into her pocket and reveals an iPhone. “Oh. I have to go now.”

She rises and extends a hand. “Donna it was so good to meet you. I loved your League of Love books and look forward to the next one.” She then sweeps Imogene into a hug and is gone in the blink of an eye.

“She’s amazing, isn’t she? From a lost woman to the self assured vampire is such a change.” Imogene gazes at me. “Well, I guess I’d better be off too.” She snaps her notebook closed. “It’s been fun! Let’s not wait so long to do this again.” Then with a peck on my cheek she pulling back towards the door. “Oh and Donna? I loved your books too!”

The Illuminated Witch

Blurb:

Celina has always been alone, until the new Master, Javed, draws her close. But danger and passion are never far away.

After years of struggling alone, Celina—a witchling of immense power—must find her place in the world of vampires.

But while Javed is building a new nest—the first new one in a century—and struggling to overcome his own demons, an ancient evil stirs.

Now with Celina in danger, time running out and the demands of a fledgling nest, can their love possibly overcome every obstacle?

Celina grabbed her aching head. Another headache, just like the day before, but perhaps it was more violent. Her stomach lurched uncertainly and she rubbed her belly while it heaved and roiled. It was only four in the afternoon, too early to head home, but she glanced around the office, looking vainly for an escape.

“Hey, Celina? Can you cover for me tomorrow? I’m going to call in sick ‘cause I’ve got a hot date tomorrow night,” Sylvia, her cubicle mate, whispered to her excitedly.

Celina closed her eyes. Great. Just what I need. “Honestly? Syl, I don’t know. I’m not feeling so great.” She mumbled a little, knowing what Sylvia’s reaction would be.

“Have you been to see the doctor yet?”

Celina swivelled in her seat and cast a dark glance at her workmate. “I’m going to call—” Her words ended abruptly as the lights dimmed and went out. “Damn… This is like the third time this month. What the hell is going on?” The heat of the office space swelled as the air conditioning failed. The cloying scents of a multitude of perfumes and hot sweaty bodies in the summer wave closed in on her.

Celina’s tummy jostled once more, demanding her attention. She rose, racing unerringly to the bathroom, making it just in time to empty the contents violently into the toilet. The clunk of the door somewhere behind alerted her to the fact that she was no longer alone. She sighed loudly. Sylvia had followed her, she knew. The sound of wood banging closed reverberated off the walls. The ensuing echo splintered her thoughts.

“Celina, you have to see the doctor.” There was concern in Sylvia’s voice and Celina shied away from it.

Celina leaned limply against the wall of the stall, the dim security lighting flickering in and out. “Yeah, I think you’re right.” She didn’t want to face it, but the headaches had become an almost everyday occurrence in the past few months. One she’d tried to ignore, but with little success. But something had to be wrong. Her stomach quivered at the possible reasons.

She pushed away from the wall and headed for the sink, turned the tap and was rewarded by the sound of running water. Celina scooped the liquid up, washed her face and swilled some around in her mouth, trying to banish the sour taste. Her knees shook like wet noodles beneath her.

“Okay, I’ll ring in the morning and see how soon I can get in for an appointment.” A sound from outside caught her hearing, a thudding noise, as if someone was testing the door. She wouldn’t be able to hide from the problems for much longer and right now, she really needed some air. “We’d better get out there.”

“Yeah. Okay.” She heard the concern in Sylvia’s voice. “Will you be okay to get home?”

They slowly made their way through the door and back into the office, where the blast of heat and the waft of body essences made her want to gag again. She struggled through one shallow breath then another.

“I’m planning on going straight home anyway.” Celina shuffled towards her desk and groped around in the dark, hunting for her phone. She grasped it in her damp hand and pressed the screen, waiting for it to lighten sufficiently to see her desk. She spied her bag and opened the desk to find her keys. “It looks like these are going to be out for a while. Can you…?” She indicated the light fittings, then towards the office at the end of the row, hoping Sylvia would understand.

“I’ll go tell the supervisor. You go on. Head home and take some painkillers.”

With a small nod, which she quickly regretted as a pulse wavered through her throbbing skull, Celina headed to the emergency stairs. As she passed desks she saw others grabbing up their items, including laptops. No doubt they obviously thought the same thing.

Finally she made her way down the fourteen flights of stairs. On the way she heard many voices, some shrill and others filled with laughter in the darkness. Here and there she caught glimpses of light, probably from mobiles, illuminating the gloom.

One foot after another she plodded down the steps, her head aching viciously and finally, light glowed ahead and a breeze started to clear the stuffy wooliness from her head.

* * * *

Javed shook his head. The missive he held in his hands filled him with emotions he hadn’t experienced in hundreds of years. He knew what it was. It was confusion. The sense of having the carpet jerked out from beneath him. His hands felt clammy.

“So… That’s your destiny, there in your hands.”

His hand shook and the sound of parchment moving back and forth filled the air. He held not just his destiny, but also that of so many others.

He glanced at Xavier, his master, and Hope. They were two very powerful vampires as well as his friends. “I don’t know what to say.”

Hope rose and glided towards him. “You don’t have to say anything. We will say it all. Your leaving us on one level makes us sad, but you will be a master in your own right. You’ve earned this.”

Javed wanted to sputter and stop her words, but he couldn’t. The intent of the letter was clear. On the night of the next full moon, Cressida would grant him his own nest. He would be elevated to the position of master.

If that wasn’t enough to accept, there was the knowledge that there hadn’t been a new house in over a century.

There was so much to do. So many decisions to make and all of them would fall on him. He would need to choose a Yeux Secondes, the human who would oversee the financial and day-to-day aspects of the nest. He would also require a second, a guardian who would stand at his side. A fellow warrior, in whom he could place his trust, one who would help him build a safe haven in their house. He would need witches to help protect the vampires and followers… Where the hell do I even start with that?

“You’ll need a house. Somewhere for your people to call home.” Hope grinned and he saw the lurking humour she couldn’t quell. “I know of an interior designer, if you want their details?”

He rolled his eyes, remembering the problems she’d had with her parents before she had been turned and the way she’d arranged for the entire block of units to be furnished. It had taken her one night to order and arrange for the delivery of all the furniture. Unlike the immense task her mother had proposed.

But her smile died away as her own memories must have surfaced.

“I don’t know about that, but if you’re offering help, then I’ll accept it. I don’t have a clue where to start.” He moved back to the armchair and slumped into it. “I don’t usually concern myself with those types of problem.” He allowed his head to drop into his hands and muttered. “I don’t think I’m ready yet.”

A soft touch on his shoulder captured his attention. “Cressida thinks you are. Otherwise she would not have petitioned the Councillors. Now come on. You need to start planning. We have one month to arrange your investiture…”

About Imogene:

Wife, mother and nutty bookstore owner all describe Imogene Nix, but the real secret is Science Fiction, Paranormal Romance with a hefty dose of Romantic Suspense is what she adores. Dedicated to high quality romance, with a dollop of erotic interactions, Imogene has dipped her toes into Science Fiction, Contemporary Rural Romance and Paranormal Romance featuring feisty headstrong female leads.

About The Illuminated Witch: The Illuminated Witch is the second in the Blood Secrets Trilogy. The first, The Blood Bride, was an ARe and Totally Bound Best Seller.

Imogene is running a Rafflecopter Giveaway in conjunction with this blog hop, there are heaps of great prizes on offer, here are the dates and blogs where you can enter…I couldn’t get the link to run on my blog *sigh*